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Negotiations Update
By:Dieter C.
Dammeier
LACKIE & DAMMEIER
California
law enforcement continues to see significant increases in compensation
packages in the current highly competitive market for police officers.
Recruitment and retention continue to be the biggest tool available for
POA’s at the negotiating table. Police employers that wish to hire the
best and brightest from the shrinking pool of candidates understand that
to do so they must provide better salary, benefits and working
conditions than their competitors. Below are a few more associations I
was excited about helping reach successful conclusions in their contract
negotiations.
Alhambra
POA – 4-Year MOU (19.5% Salary Increase)
Veteran negotiator and POA leader, Joe Flannagan, again was
successful at achieving significant results for his members in contract
negotiations. In light of the loss the POA had recently sustained in
its City Council elections, the results were above many members
expectations. The agreement reached called for salary to increase by
7.5% by July 1, 2007, with a 4% increase each of the remaining three
years of the contract. Medical premiums were increased throughout the
term of the contract to $959.65 by July 1, 2010. Retiree medical was
also increased for personnel with 20 and 25 years of service. This was
in addition to the already highly funded medical trust managed by the
POA and funded by the City at approximately $400 per month per POA
member, which is the best funded medical trust for a POA (with City
dollars) known in the State. With these benefits, retirees should be
well secured in covering their medical after retirement. Another
significant benefit obtained was the Employer Paid Member Contribution (EPMC)
conversion which converts the 9% the employer pays on the employees
behalf to PERS into “compensation” for retirement purposes, thus having
the net effect of increasing ones PERS pension significantly.
Azusa POA – 3 Year MOU (11.5% Salary Increase)
Azusa POA, led by President Peter Hoh, has maintained a high
level of respect by the City Council in Azusa due to his tireless
efforts in raising the image of the POA and being politically involved
in the community. This new MOU maintains Azusa at the top end of the
law enforcement market in the San Gabriel Valley. The MOU calls for a
3.5% salary increase effective immediately, with a 4% increase on August
1, 2008, and another 4% increase on August 1, 2009. A hot topic at most
negotiation tables, that being medical insurance premiums, was also a
significant issue for the APOA. Ultimately, they obtained significant
increases to have an immediate full cafeteria plan of $1,137 per month
which by the end of the contract will increase to $1,413. This amount
remains as a full cafeteria plan, allowing those who do not use any
portion of the amount to be taken back as cash. To seal the deal, in
addition to retiree medical which is already provided to employees after
20 years of service, language was included in the new MOU to allow any
unused portion of employee retiree medical to be used toward spousal
coverage, thus allowing a retiree to instead of obtaining the most
expensive single plan coverage, getting himself and his spouse covered
with a less costly plan.
Claremont
POA – 3 Year MOU (12% Salary Increase)
Negotiations, led by Claremont POA President Eric Huizar,
continued the trend in Southern California of multi-year contracts.
Claremont POA agreed to a three year MOU calling for a 4% increase in
salary each year. An item CPOA has attempted to correct for many years,
was to have sick time counted as time worked for overtime computation
purposes. With the City under new management, CPOA was able to achieve
this benefit this time around. As most readers are aware, the holiday
pay hours at most agencies still linger from the era of the traditional
8-hour day. CPOA was able to obtain holiday pay equal to the amount of
hours someone actually works on a holiday (in their case 12-hour patrol
shifts), while employees who are off on a holiday will continue to
receive 8 hours of holiday pay.
Negotiation
tables continue to look promising. As always, I look forward to
reporting to you more significant increases in coming months.
About the Author: Dieter C. Dammeier of Lackie & Dammeier is
an LDF panel attorney and the firm’s specialist in contract
negotiations. |
